Thursday, 28 November 2013

Looking at the side field, frost heavy on the ground, where is she, the goat who did a naughty last night, is she a stiffo?

Nooooo! Here she is, all feet pointing downwards, and in motion.

....but she was shivering! So I had a talk with her, and said that perhaps she should be more willing to go with the flow when Lester fetches her in from the field at night. I said that it was not worth being cold to the bone, which she obviously was, as her shivers were quite something to behold. But the sun was up, and it turned out to be a cheerfully sunny day, so soon she would have got warmer and forgotten about her cold night, but hopefully kept a modicum of memory in her head to stop her from doing another naughty tonight.

Wednesday, 27 November 2013

There's nothing quite like being suddenly woken up in the middle of the night by two rottweiller girls, with very loud voices, howling as if all hell had been let loose.

Why did they make such a din? Was it because they wanted to go outside for wees and poos? No. Standing outside in minus 3 temperatures with hardly anything on, watching the girls watching me to see what the hell I was doing outside in the dark, in the cold, and then the girls turning round and going back to bed because they were getting chilled, leaving me outside to get cross at them. The most smallest of tiddles would have been worth being woken up for, and might have spared me some angst. To have them look at me as if I was daft to have got them out of their warm beds was not pleasing to my humour.Was it because they had had a nightmare? Do dogs dream? Well they do, because their eyes twitch, and their noses move about, as do their legs, and they do little woofs, not great big howls. So, no, not a dream.Was it because they were being put into a fright by something or other? No, because they are developing 'I am big and fierce and not afraid' barks, these often being done just before they turn and run off in the opposite direction to the offending frightener, and have never stopped first to have a howl.Why was it, then, that both of them punched out these hellish howls? Easy really. Because they could!Just off to see if we have a stiffo goat in the side field. With the main field still being blocked by water, all the gang have to graze out in the side field. No probs. Except that Blackie, one of our goats, has been going through a ' being awkward' stage and will not come in at night, unless she is allowed to come through the field gate free of all encumbrances, such as being put on a lead, so that she can eat here, eat there, have a little jaunt around the place, and then finally, when she is ready, allow herself to be shooed into the pen with the other goats. So last night, she was offered the choice, several times, to come onto the rope or be left in the field. Her awkwardness persisted. She was left in the field overnight.It was the coldest night here so far. She must have shivered. Perhaps her needing to be awkward will have disappeared away. Perhaps.But for all of the winters we have experienced so far, we are less cold than what we have been. We could put the electric fires on of course, but there is a lack of effort on our parts to so do, and instead, we continue to pile on the layers of clothing. I will think of myself as being cold when all the layers are done. So far, it is socks, thermal longjohns, wincyette petticoat, thick corduroy skirt, thermal vest, another thermal vest, a t-shirt, a sleeveless top, a fleece jumper, a knitted cardi, a crocheted blanket, and sometimes a crocheted hat. Oh, and a pinafore somewhere in that lot. And I think of you experiencing much colder weather, and snow, and think to myself that it is not so bad here, and count my blessings. It is easy to get down in the dumps when the body feels chilled. But we are managing better than in previous winters, and will hardly be able to cope, I think, when the Rayburn stove goes in for next winter. So why not get the stove in for this winter? Because work from the UK, via the internet, has come in for Lester so he is occupied at his computer, and I am busy with my writing and website re-development on my computer. It is hard juggling the time needed to work on the house, work on the computers, and work on the farm. But then there are many of you who are also having to make this juggle, and it helps me to be patient my juggling knowing that you are also having to do a fair bit of juggling yourselves. It is always nice to know that one is not the only one. But I delay. Grass needs scything for the pigs (which will be easy this morning because the grass will be frozen stiff), dogs needs getting out (so they can have a romp), Lester needs someone to hover around him while he freezes his fingers, and probably everything else, as he milks Lissie, (just to help him stay cheerful), and I need to have a word with Blackie about it being unwise to carry on in such an unhelpful manner. Hopefully she will not be lying on her back with her legs pointing skywards and frozen stiff.I hope you have a really lovely day.

Tuesday, 19 November 2013

So no, Lissie, our Jersey cow, was obviously not in calf as she attempted to have a go at Lester and the goats in her neediness to be sorted out. So artificial insemination man called in again for a second attempt. But she is still giving us milk, bless her, and we remain observant of this when eating the produce she gives us via her milk. Lester, meanwhile, continues to have his patience stretched with her, but has only had one mucky foot in the bucket, and two kicked over buckets over during the last week. The temperatures are starting to zoom down but we still have not put any fires on, and the Rayburn continues to reside in the hallway, but not to worry, we have a couple of electric fires if we get too cold, and we do keep the bathroom warm so we can at least have one warm space in the house. It has been known for us to linger longer than is necessary when going to the loo, this being particularly relevant to Lester, who has started taking his electronic book thingy in with him so he can read while he goes to the loo and warms up all at the same time. And Mazzy, one of the rottweiller girls, has just been spayed. Did not like having this done, but after due consideration, we decided that there were enough dogs needing homes already and that we did not want to add to that population. Plus, we think but are not certain, that Boolie managed a quick one when no one was looking and that Maz was in pup, but only just. Action was necessary. To have a dog the size of a rottweiller romping around in manic spaniel mode would not have made for an easy dog to have around. Nevertheless it still caught at our hearts as we left her with the vet. She is home again, and Blue goes in for her op next week. Being a responsible animal owner is not easy sometimes. But the little piggies are happier. The rain it has fallen and they are muddied up to their armpits. Not to worry, it has been quite mild for the time of year and they did have a temporary shelter by way of a little tin hut, but we were starting to be uneasy about their accommodation as they grew bigger and the rain kept falling and the temperatures started going downwards. Thinking about those little piggies trying to sleep in their hut, probably with their faces and their little bums getting soaked by the cold wetness, was starting to unsettle us. We could never put them into the freezer knowing that the days of their life were spent in such uncomfortableness. Into action we went. A day in the mud with the little piggies messing about around us, and a proper shelter was done. A bale of hay was put inside it, the little piggies getting in the way all the time. We tiptoed out just before we went to bed and had a looksee with a torch. And there they were, two little heads peeking up from a mound of straw. We slept well that night, and subsequently, knowing that all the animals are now warmly tucked up.And we shall have a warmer winter now we have ceilings throughout the cottage and all the windows have proper windows in them. And I have bought several Rayburn recipe books which will keep me going until we get the Rayburn installed, which is likely not to be for this winter, but it does not matter, because we shall have a warmer winter than we did last winter, when builders were to and fro so the doors were open for much of the day, and we still did not have a proper window in the kitchen, just a plank of wood, and we still did not have ceilings in half of the house. The previous winter to that, the builders were doing the first phase of the ceilings, so doors were again open for much of the time. The previous winter to that one, we were still commuting between house and caravan, the one before that we were living in caravans and our computer office was the ex pig/chicken hut which is now the geese's bedroom, we just borrowed it in between. So we are piling on the thermals but still have a couple of layers as yet to put on. And 'thankyou' to the Universe for getting the French to get the river beach cleared away when they did, because a week after they finished we went under yellow alert as the river levels rose. If the beach had been left, pretty though it was, the water would have come on to the land, and those little piggies would have been swimming around in river water rather than sloshing through mud! Must get on with other things now. Keep warm everyone! Unless your seasons are opposite to us, in which case, stay cool!Vx

Sunday, 10 November 2013

So here is the lounge,and the big patch you seeis the start of the new project,and that is to get all the old lime renderoff the walls.I fear it is going to take quite some time.We hoped that we had decent stone walls,but it looks like we don't.And I don't know how the walls have stood,being made of bits of stones and tiles,how they have stood, I ask myself,for over two hundred years.

Anyway, this is how far I got last night.At least I had started.Lots of chipping away to do,so best to do an hour or so per day,don't have time to do more,don't want to do more,because of the number of timesI missed the head of the chiselwith the mallet,and hit my thumb.Not to worry,found some thick work gloves,which seemed to stop the stingwhen I inadvertently hit myself,which was not oftenas I got better with my aim.

It took me an hour to from the first photo,to this one. Ah well, at least we have started the lounge,which is good. I should also build up some good arm muscles,eventually.Little steps get the job done!Hope you have a good Sunday,Vx